Every time I count my blessings I always make sure to count you in twice.

Thank you for always knowing me better than I could ever know myself. You always seemed to know my emotions and feelings, even without me displaying them. You could sense my sadness and grief, my excitement and joy, and also my anger. You can sense my body language and know when I need a good face licking. Thank you for the snuggles when I cried after a break up and even crying with me. Sometimes getting a face full of fur is really the only way to be happy. You've always been my happiness machine and I only wish everyone could have one like you. Maybe our world would be much happier.

Thank you for being a dishwasher when my mom tried to cook Thanksgiving dinner by herself one year and not everything turned out according to plan. You've always been good at helping me finish my plate during the main course so I could get to dessert faster. Now if you ask me, that's something a true best friend would do for you. Thanks for eating the overcooked, the undercooked, the fat off the steak, and anything that was healthy and green just so I didn't have to.

Thank you for always wanting to play and knowing exactly when I needed to get my daily dose of sunshine. For a brief moment, I was very sad and I let a horrible mental illness occupy my life. You always knew when it was time to get up and get fresh air. Even if it was for going out to throw the ball outside or just to go and make a little brown smelly surprise (which I had to clean up), it was always refreshing to be outside with my best friend. Thank you for pulling my dark world out into the light. Thank you for being so funny, you did the weirdest things sometimes but it was always to put a smile on my face. Thanks for being goofy with me and howling when I was singing songs. You couldn't quite match my pitch, but you sure tried very hard.

Thank you for always being so smart. You're so intuitive and intelligent, it astonishes me constantly. I always knew dogs were better than humans, I just didn't know they were in almost every way possible. I've seen so many times where dogs are saving human lives because they're just so incredibly smart and they know how to utilize the environment around them. Every time I leave the house you know what's coming. You can sense when I grab my keys and put on my shoes, so you get ready to receive a bacon strip treat.

Thank you for still loving our family when at one point you had a family who didn't love you. You were abused and neglected and I am sorry every day we didn't get you sooner. The humans who had you were horrible to you and you did nothing to deserve that. You were nothing but kind and loyal, something that made my family fall in love with you. You were so welcoming to the new puppy in our family. It may have seemed at times that we gave her more attention than we did you, but you swallowed your pride like a champion and were so patient. I wish I spent more of that time giving you the same love, but I think all along you knew I still loved you so much.

You've always put my family's needs before your own, even when sometimes we forget to meet your needs. You are selfless in every single way possible and I could not imagine living in a world without you. My pet, my light, my therapist, my best friend. Thank you for never judging me and always loving me.

Thank you, I'll always be grateful for you.